DeMar DeRozan scored a career high 40 points as the Raptors defeat the Mavs 93-85.

After gutting out a 102-97 win Monday in Cleveland, the Dallas Mavericks hoped to continue feasting on the Eastern Conference while making the second stop on their three-game road trip.

Touching down in Toronto for Wednesday’s matchup against the Raptors and looking to avenge a 109-108 overtime loss at home back on Dec. 20, the Mavericks looked to improve on an 11-4 record against the East. However, the Mavericks would have to make up for the loss of their leader and franchise player, taking the court minus 11-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki as he received a night of rest. Meanwhile, point guard Jose Calderon made his return to Toronto after spending his first 7 1/2 seasons with the Raptors, looking to replicate his 23-point, nine-assist outing against his former team back in December.

But, without Nowitzki in the lineup, the Mavs wouldn’t have enough firepower to hold on to an early 21-point advantage, after also losing a 19-point lead in the previous meeting between the two teams. And after falling to a 93-85 defeat, the Mavericks (25-19) suffered their fifth loss of the season when leading by at least 17 points.

“It’s a 48-minute game,” a disappointed Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said after the loss.

He added: “This is the year of no lead too big, no deficit too great. You’re seeing big leads disappear all the time and we’ve got to be better. We’ve got to be better with leads, because they’re hard to get.”

Without the services of his leading scorer, Carlisle was forced to make a change to his starting lineup, inserting second-year standout Jae Crowder into the first unit at small forward and sliding four-time All-Star Shawn Marion to Nowitzki’s customary power forward spot. Meanwhile, starting center Samuel Dalembert stepped onto the court, despite battling a left shoulder strain suffered in the third quarter of Monday’s win.

The Mavs also leaned on Calderon, who engineered the Dallas team to a quick advantage on the scoreboard while making his return to Air Canada Centre. The starting backcourt of Monta Ellis and Calderon then swished in back-to-back 3-pointers to cap off a 13-0 run, before a vintage Vince Carter slam took the Mavericks into the second stanza with a 34-15 advantage.

After leading by as many as 21 in the opening period, the Mavs would see the momentum begin to swing in favor of the Raptors (21-20) in the early stage of the second quarter. Carlisle was then forced to call timeout with 6:56 remaining in the half, after Terrence Ross’ triple brought the gap between the two squads down to six, 38-32.

But the Mavs would quickly push the lead back to double digits with a 7-0 spurt. Not to be outdone, the Raptors came rumbling back as well, climbing to within three. Still, led by Calderon’s 12 first-half points, the Mavericks took a 51-46 edge into the intermission.

Led by Calderon’s 5-of-8 shooting, the Mavericks’ 53.8 percent from the field bettered the Raptors’ 39 percent through two quarters. The Mavs also overcome Toronto’s 19-17 edge in rebounding and 13 points off Dallas’ nine turnovers, holding a 28-16 scoring margin in the paint.

Locked in a dogfight early in third, the Mavs would gain a little traction as Crowder calmly connected a corner 3-pointer to make it a 58-50 score. The Mavericks would quickly receive a scare after that, however, as Ellis went down throbbing in pain after a collision with DeMar DeRozan.

But Ellis would stay in the game, continuing to lead the Mavs with Nowitzki in street clothes. And despite foul trouble for both Dalembert and Carter, the Mavericks escaped into the fourth period with a 73-68 lead as Ellis matched DeRozan score for score.

Playing just his third game since returning from offseason toe surgery, veteran guard Devin Harris would get the Mavs off to a fast start in the fourth after raining in a trey to open the period. But the Raptors would stay in the game with frequent trips to the free-throw line at the other end.

Ellis then returned to the floor, quickly finding backup big man Brandan Wright above the rim for an alley-oop finish. But the Raptors refused to go away, briefly taking charge of the scoreboard as Jonas Valanciunas came alive inside.

Meanwhile, the Mavs struggled to control the ball, committing costly turnovers before moving into the bonus at the foul line with 4:21 remaining. DeRozan then went back on the attack, lifting his team to an 85-82 edge on a reversing three-point play with 3:38 still on the clock. Amir Johnson followed that with a triple of his own, giving the Raptors an 88-84 edge with 2:59 left for the Mavs to recover. A short time later DeRozan capped off his career night, collecting a steal on the Mavs’ 20th turnover of the game and racing down the court for the two-handed slam to put the Raptors up 92-85 with 1:51 left.

The Mavs wouldn’t score the rest of the way.

“They made plays and we didn’t,” Carlisle confessed, “so you’ve got to give them credit. The crowd got into it and all that, and we’ve got to be better.”

“We couldn’t match their intensity in the second half. They made their run and we couldn’t keep up with that,” Calderon added.

Leading the way in a losing effort, Ellis scored 21 points on 9-of-18 shooting and dished out six assists, but he also committed eight turnovers. Calderon and Wright were the only other Mavs in double figures with 13 points apiece.

DeRozan led three Raptors in double figures with a career-high 40 points, hitting 15 of 22 from the field. Toronto also collected a 40-33 advantage in the rebounding department. The Mavs did, however, outshot the Raptors in the loss, 46.6 percent to 42.1 percent. But the Raptors forced the Mavericks into 21 turnovers (nine in the fourth) as well, scoring 25 points off the miscues at the other end.

“We just have to do better,” Carter confessed. “More so than this is the second time against the Raptors, this is more than the second time this year for us. I think we just have to zero in on staying focused, staying the course, continuing to do what got us to that point. I think that sometimes we get comfortable and we’re still learning how to win. It’s very frustrating. This is a game that we should have won, regardless of if Dirk was on the floor or not. I think we set the tone for how we wanted to play and what needed to be done, and then they stepped their pressure up and we didn’t.”

“I believe in our team and I believe in these guys, and we’re going to keep working at it,” Carlisle concluded. “I’m going to keep believing in them and telling them I believe in them, and we’ve got to do better. I know we’re capable, and it’s a hard league. The games are long, so you’ve got to keep playing and everything is meaningful. You can’t throw the ball away 21 times for 25 points and give up a 40-point night to a guy that’s a good player, so we can do better and we’re going to work at it.”

Note: The Mavericks will now conclude their road trip in Brooklyn, facing off with the Nets for the first time this season. The game will air locally Friday on Fox Sports Southwest at 6:30 p.m. CT.

The Mavs return to American Airlines Center on Sunday, Jan. 26, to begin a four-game homestand against the Detroit Pistons. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 6:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS (6287) or by visiting Mavs.com.

After fearing that they’d have to take the court minus their starting center Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors, the Dallas Mavericks were pleasantly surprised to see big man Samuel Dalembert during the team’s morning walkthrough.

Losing Dalembert to a left shoulder strain in the third quarter of Monday’s 102-97 win in Cleveland, the Mavericks (25-18) called up rookie second-rounder Ricky Ledo Wednesday morning from the NBA Development League’s Texas Legends to give the team an extra body. But, after an MRI came back negative and Dalembert vowed to play following the Mavs’ Wednesday shootaround, the team should receive a boost from his big body in the interior.

Dalembert has averaged 6.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 20.2 minutes of work per game this season, starting 29 of his 41 outings. He played just six minutes Dec. 20 and scored two points the last time the Mavs squared off with the Toronto team, as the Raptors (20-20) rallied from a 19-point deficit in the first half to claim a 109-108 overtime win at American Airlines Center.

This time around, however, the Mavericks hope to leave Air Canada Centre on the winning end while attempting to move to 2-0 on their current three-game road trip. And while continuing to position themselves in the ever-changing Western Conference playoff picture, the Mavs will look to improve on an 11-4 record against the East.

“It’s a must-win game for us,” sixth man Vince Carter said. “It’s an important road trip for us just to kind of position ourselves, ’cause right now the West is very strong and there’s a lot going on the way we’re fluctuating in the eighth spot right now. This is a game on our calendar that we need to pull out a victory. And we’re playing a young and athletic team that’s playing with a lot of confidence, so our focus has to be great.”

Note: The Mavericks will continue their road trip in Toronto, looking to avenge a 109-108 overtime loss back on Dec. 20. The game will air locally Wednesday on Fox Sports Southwest at 6 p.m. CT.

The Mavs return to American Airlines Center on Sunday, Jan. 26, to begin a four-game homestand against the Detroit Pistons. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 6:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS (6287) or by visiting Mavs.com.

After watching big lead after big lead evaporate this season, the Dallas Mavericks made a stand down the stretch Monday in Cleveland.

Leading by as many as 24, the Mavericks (25-18) would eventually find themselves in a dogfight as the Cavaliers rallied on their home floor. Still, after sneaking away with a 102-97 win as six scorers reached double figures, the Mavs began their three-game road trip victoriously. And while trying to avenge a 109-108 overtime loss at home to the Toronto Raptors back on Dec. 20, which was one of four defeats the Mavericks have suffered after leading by at least 17, the Dallas team will try to carry over the lessons learned from their last win to Wednesday.

“Hopefully we can learn from that,” starting point guard Jose Calderon said as he gets set to make a return to Toronto after spending his first 7 1/2 seasons with the franchise.

He added: “We have seen this whole year that this league is getting closer and closer talent-wise. If you have a lead, you have to work at it. It doesn’t matter who you play, everybody is going to be right there.”

Calderon did his part the last time he faced the Raptors (20-20), scoring 23 points, dishing out nine assists and committing just one turnover. But the Raptors weren’t to be denied as they staged a comeback from 19 down in the first half to claim the win on the American Airlines Center floor.

However, after building a large advantage in their last game and hanging on down the stretch, the Mavericks believe they now have the formula for playing winning basketball for a full 48 minutes. They’ll put that equation to the test Wednesday, facing a Toronto team that has lost five of nine since a 9-2 stretch following the Rudy Gay trade on Dec. 9.

And with the Raptors trying to avoid their first three-game losing skid since moving Gay to Sacramento, the Mavs know they’ll have to get back to executing in order to improve on an 11-4 mark this season against the Eastern Conference.

“I think we have to continue to do what we were doing in the first half — sharing the ball, getting defensive stops and getting out,” starting shooting guard Monta Ellis said following Monday’s win. “This is the NBA. You know, teams are going to make runs, but we’ve got to stay together as a team and continue to help one another and try to find ways to win the game, like we did (Monday).”

Note: The Mavericks will continue their road trip in Toronto, looking to avenge a 109-108 overtime loss back on Dec. 20. The game will air locally Wednesday on Fox Sports Southwest at 6 p.m. CT.

The Mavs return to American Airlines Center on Sunday, Jan. 26, to begin a four-game homestand against the Detroit Pistons. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 6:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS (6287) or by visiting Mavs.com.